Lock



Aug) 4, 1936. R. R. BIRCHFIELD I 2,050,155

' LOCK Filed Nov. 18, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Aug. 4, 1936 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFE'IE LOCK Roy R. Birchfield, Shreveport, La.

Application November 18, 1935, Serial No. 50,428

4 Claims.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a lockingmechanism, and the invention aims to provide a novel means, including alocking member, for controlling the movement of a latching element. Afurther object of the invention is to supply, in combination with thestructure above alluded to, a novel permutation mechanism which willmake the unlocking of the device more difiicult.

It is within the'province of the disclosure to improve generally and toenhance the utility of devices of that type to which the inventionappertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made Within thescope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 shows, in vertical longitudinal section, a device constructed inaccordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal longitudinal section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation, the lid being removed, and parts beingshown in section;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an elevation showing a modification, parts being broken away;

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 'l--1 of Fig. 6.

The numeral l marks a hollow keeper, adapted to be secured to the sidewall of a freight car (not shown) or to any other similar structure. Thekeeper I has an opening 2. The part of the keeper I that is above theopening 2 forms a shoulder 3.

The numeral 4 marks a support, such as a boxlike casing, which may besecured to a freight car door (not shown), mounted to slide in avertical plane, toward and away from the keeper l. The casing 4comprises a body 5, and a lid 6 held on the body by securing elements 1.The lid 6 and the keeper 1 have cooperating perforated ears 8, by whichthe door that carries the casing 4 can be sealed shut, in the usual way.

The back of the body 5 of the casing 4 has a boss 9, carrying a pivotelement ID. A latch bar or bolt H is mounted at one end to swingvertically on the pivot element It. The latch bar ll extends outwardlythrough a hole 12 in the body 5 of the casing 4 and is adapted to passthrough the opening 2 of the keeper l. The

latch bar H has a beveled shouldered head M. A compression spring 15,interposed between the casing body 5 and the latch bar H, raises thelatch bar to. a position in which the head 54 of the latch bar willengage automatically with the shoulder 3 of the keeper 6 when the doorthat carries the casing 4 is slid to a closed position. Intermediate itsends, the latch bar H is provided with a depending arm l6. Intermediateits ends, the latch bar I l is supplied with a depending stud II. Thestud I1 is located between the arm I6 and the spring l5. An eight-sidedfoot I8 is mounted fixedly on the stud ll. A plunger I9 is mounted torotate and to slide endwise in the bottom part of the body 5 of thecasing 4. Intermediate its ends, the plunger l9 has a shoulder 20. Abutton 2! is secured to the lower end of the plunger ill. The button 28has difierent characters 22 on its sides. The plunger 19 has a yoke 23at its upper end. In the lower side of the top 20 of the yoke 23 thereis a seat 24. The seat 24 is shaped so as to receive closely the foot I8on the stud ll of the latch bar H.

A trough-shaped member 25 is secured to the rear wall of the body 5 ofthe casing 4. The outer wall 26 of the trough-shaped member 25 forms apartition within the body 5 of the casing 4. The wall 26 of thetrough-shaped member 25 is pro- Vided with a keyhole slot 21. The wall26 of the trough-shaped member 25 has an elongated slot 28.

A detent 29, in the form of a slide, is mounted to reciprocate withinthe trough-shaped member 25, in contact with the inner surface of thewall 26 thereof. The numeral 35 marks a stem, having a fork 3| passingthrough the slot 28 of the Wall 26 of the trough-shaped member 25 andsecured to the detent or slide 29. The stem 30 can slide in a slot 32 inthe lid 6 of the casing 4. The stem 30 has a knob 33 at its outer end.

An operating member 34 is mounted in the lid. 6 of the casing 4, torotate and to move endwise. The operating member 34 includes a stem 35.The stem 35 carries, at its outer end, a turning device, such as a handwheel 36. A disk 31 is secured to the stem 35 of the operating member34, within the casing 4. The stem 35 of the operating member 34 carriesa laterally projecting bit 38.

When the casing 4 is locked to the keeper I, the head M of the latch baror bolt l l is engaged with the shoulder 3 of the keeper l, as inFig. 1. The operating member 34 is pushed inwardly until the bit 33 ofthe operating member is behind the wall 26 of the trough-shaped member25, the bit of the operating member passing inwardly through the keyholeslot 21 in the wall 26. This operation disposes the disk 31 of theoperating member 34 underneath the arm IS on the latch bar II, and thelatch bar cannot be pulled down, by means of the plunger I9, thereby todisengage the head I4 of the latch bar from the shoulder 3 of the keeperI. The operating member 34 is rotated from the position of Fig. 2, saythrough an arc of 180 degrees more or less. By means of the knob 33 andthe stem 30, the detent 29 is moved to the left in Fig. 2, to cover thelaterally projecting portion of the keyhole slot 21 in the wall 26 ofthe trough-shaped member 25. If an attempt is made to rotate theoperating member 34, the bit 38 of the operating member strikes thedetent 29, and the bit 38 cannot be lined up with the keyhole slot 21 inthe wall 26 of the troughshaped member 25. It is therefore impossible tomove the operating member 34 outwardly, lengthwise, and to withdraw thedisk 3'! from underneath the arm I6 of the latch bar II, and the latchbar II cannot be swung downwardly as a consequence. The operator shovesup on the plunger I9, until the seat 24 in the yoke 23 of the plunger I9is disengaged from the foot l8 on the stud I! of the latch bar I I. Theoperator then rotates the plunger I9 and permits it to move downwardly,until the seat 24 in the yoke 23 of the plunger I9 is engaged again withthe foot I8 of the stud IT on the latch bar II. By this operation, towit, the rotation of the plunger I9, the shoulder 20 on the plunger I9is shifted circumferentially from the position of Fig. 1 and is out ofthe path of the bit 38 of the operating member 34, even though theoperator may have pulled the operating member outwardly from theposition of Fig. 2, as hereinafter described.

In order to unlock the device, the operator slides the plunger I9upwardly, until the seat 24 of the plunger is disengaged from the footI8 of the stud II on the latch bar II. The operator then rotates andlowers the plunger I9 until the seat 24 of the plunger engages againwith the part I8. By this operation, the shoulder 20 on the plunger I9is restored to the position of Fig. 1, in the path of the bit 38 of theoperating member 34, when the operating member 34 is drawn outwardly ashereinafter described. The operator knows which of the characters 22 onthe button 2I of the plunger I9 ought to be in a predetermined position,in which the shoulder 28 on the plunger is arranged in such positionthat the bit 38 of the operating member 34 can engage the shoulder. Thelock, therefore, has a permutation feature.

Having restored the plunger I9 to the position of Fig. l, the operatorslides the detent 29 to the right, by means of the knob 33 and the stem38, into the position of Fig. 2. The detent 29 now is out of the path ofthe bit 33 of the operating member 34. The operating member 34 is pulledforwardly, the forward edge of the bit 38 riding on the rear surface ofthe wall 26 of the member 25, the operating member being rotated untilthe bit 38 registers with the key hole slot 21 in the wall 26 and movesoutwardly through the said keyhole slot. This outward movement of theoperating member 34 is continued until the disk 31 of the operatingmember is in abutment with the lid 6 of the casing 4, as in Fig. 2. Bythis operation, two results are accomplished. First, the disk 31 iswithdrawn from beneath the arm I6 of the latch bolt I I, and,consequently, the

latch bolt can be swung downwardly. The second result accomplished bysliding the operating member 34 outwardly is that the bit 38 of theoperating member is in such a position that it can engage the shoulder26 of the plunger I9, when the operating member is rotated clockwise.The operating member is rotated clockwise, by means of the hand wheel36, the bit 38 of the operating member engages the shoulder 28 on theplunger IS, the plunger I9 moves downwardly, the latch bolt I I is swungdownwardly on the pivot element ID, the head I4 of the latch bar isdisengaged from the shoulder 3 of the keeper I, and the door can be slidto an open position.

Although the device is simple in construction, it requires a great dealof manipulation, and an intimate knowledge of its structure, to bringabout the unlocking operation. Moreover, the permutation feature,involved in the rotation of the plunger I9, lends further complexity tothe unlocking of the device.

In Figs. 6 and 7, parts hereinbefore described have been designated bynumerals previously used, with the suffix a. In Fig. 1, the latch bar IIis so constructed that the device is adapted to be used on a slidingdoor. In Figs. 6 and '7, the device is so constructed that it can beused on a horizontally swinging door. The modification consists informing the opening 2a in the outer wall of the keeper Ia, and the headI4a of the latch bar can enter through the opening 2a, the shoulder 3aof the keeper Ia being beveled transversely, as at 40, and the upperedge of the head I la of the latch bar IIa being beveled transsersely asat M the construction being such that, obviously, the head of the latchbar will engage behind the part 3a, in connection with a horizontallyswinging door.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, a casing having a partitionprovided with a keyhole slot, a latch bolt mounted to swing in thecasing, a plunger attached to the latch bolt and having a shoulder, anoperating member having a disk and a bit, the operating member beingmovable endwise and inwardly to pass the bit through the keyhole slot toa position behind the partition, and to dispose the disk in suchrelation to the latch bolt that the latch bolt cannot be moved tounlocked position, the operating member then being rotatable to aposition in which the bit is out of registration with the keyhole slot,the operating member being rotatable to a position in which the bit willregister with the keyhole slot, and being movable longitudinally andoutwardly to a position in which the bit will be so disposed as toengage the shoulder when the operating member is rotated, and theoperated member being rotatable to cause the bit to engage the shoulderand move the latch bolt to unlocked position, through theinstrumentality of the plunger.

2. A device of the class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1,in combination with a detent movable on the partition into a position inwhich the detent will be in the path of the bit and prevent theoperating member from being rotated to a position in which the bit willregister with the keyhole slot when the bit is behind the partition.

3. A device of the class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1,in combination with means for mounting the plunger rotatably on thelatch bolt, whereby the plunger may be rotated to dispose the shoulderof the plunger out of the path of the bit of the operating member whenthe operating member has been moved longitudinally and outwardly.

4. A device of the class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1,said disk having means to limit the outward longitudinal movement of theoperating member, the disk and the bit being so located with respect toeach other and with respect to the outer Wall of the casing and to thelength of the operating member that the engagement of the disk with theouter wall of the casing, when the operating member is movedlongitudinally and outwardly, stops the longitudinal and outwardmovement of the operating member, with the bit in such position that thebit will engage the shoulder of the plunger, when the operating memberis rotated.

ROY R. BIRCHFIELD.

